It's Not About That
by imgayerthanyou
Summary: Santana's a new transfer student who comes from a super rich family, and even though Brittany and Santana seem to be living in different worlds when it comes to the economic scale, Brittany soon finds herself thinking about Santana non-stop.
1. Chapter 1

"Brittany, get your ass out of bed, you're going to be late for school!" Jane Pierce called up the stairs of their split level house. When Brittany didn't respond, Jane rolled her eyes.

"Fine, see what I care. There's breakfast on the table if you decide to do something with your life!"

_Drama queen_, Brittany thought to herself. She sat up in her bed with a stretch and a yawn. She stood up and rummaged through her dresser before finding an acceptable pair of jeans and a sweatshirt to pull on.

"What's for breakfast?" Brittany asked as she shuffled into the kitchen.

"Soggy cereal."

"Ugh, Mom, why is it soggy?"

"Cause I poured it for you ten minutes ago."

Brittany rolled her eyes. Her mother acted like she was always late. Really she was only late, like, 50% of the time. And she was only ever late to school because you know, school sucked.

"Alright baby, I'm off to work,"

Brittany kept a straight face as her mother kissed her forehead.

"Don't be late for dinner tonight, or that'll be soggy too," the woman chipped as she walked out the front door.

Brittany rolled her eyes again.

* * *

"Hey, B, you coming to Cheerios practice tonight?" Quinn asked as she sat down across from her friend at lunch. Brittany looked down at the school lunch that'd been slopped onto her tray. She could never tell what Monday's lunch was.

"Don't think I can, Q. I'm still on uh, 'academic probation'." Brittany used her fingers to make air quotes. "And I'm definitely going to be there for a little longer with that math test I just bombed this morning."

Quinn shook her head. "Britt, why don't you get a tutor? We need you for Nationals. And you should just try and pass your classes, of course."

"You don't think I'm trying? And how the hell am I supposed to afford some braniac who charges god knows what an hour to tutor me. In like, every subject."

"I'll tutor you Brittany," Puck sat down next to Quinn.

Both girls snorted and looked at him with their "this should be good" faces.

"Puck, you're almost failing everything too."

"Almost. And besides, who said I was talking about academics?" Puck waggled his eyebrows and Quinn rolled her eyes while Brittany laughed again.

"Oh shove it, Noah." Brittany said before she took a bite of her chocolate chip cookie. At least that was identifiable.

"Hey, that's what I'm trying to do," he shrugged his shoulders. Quinn slapped him playfully on the arm.

Brittany opened her mouth to say something but lost her train of thought when someone else caught her eye.

"Who is _that_?"

"Who is who?" Quinn asked, turning around to follow Brittany's line of vision. "Oh. New girl. Rich as hell."

"Hm," Brittany said as she watched the new girl make her way to an open table. Puck popped up in his seat, blocking her view. When Brittany moved to look around him, he followed her, seemingly intent on blocking her view.

"Puck, stop -"

"No, you stop. Don't even try, Britt."

"What do you mean, don't even try?"

"Yeah, what do you mean, don't even try?" Quinn chimed in, looking confused.

Brittany grimaced. She still hadn't told Quinn, who was bound to be pissed Puck knew before her. Or be pissed at Brittany for other reasons, anyway.

Puck cocked his head and gave Brittany a look.

"Fine, fine." Brittany sat back down, still looking in the direction of the new girl before finally looking back to Puck and Quinn.

"Quinn...I'm bi." Brittany braced herself and Puck took a bite of his sandwich.

"Bi? What do you mean, 'bi'?"

"Like, bi as in bisexual as in I like both boys and girls." Brittany eyed the silver cross hanging around Quinn's neck.

"I know what bi means, Brittany, thanks for the sexuality 101 refresher. I mean 'bi?' as in why the hell does Puck know before me?"

"T-That's what you're mad about?"

"What else would I be mad about?"

"I don't know, you're president of the celibacy club and your parents are like, Republicans."

"Just because I value not having sex before marriage, or at least pretending that I do, doesn't mean I'm a homophobe. Or biphobe, in this case. And my parents can get lost, just don't tell them and you'll still be fine to stay over at my house." Quinn smiled.

Puck thought it was safe to rejoin the conversation. "Well now that that's done, you can still forget about the new girl Britt."

"What, why?"

They all looked back in her direction. It looked like she had a salad in a nice plastic container with a can of Diet Coke next to it for lunch. Brittany tried to memorize everything about her and was interrupted by Quinn.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Puck."

"What?" Brittany looked at her friends before looking back across the lunchroom.

"That girl is straight. Capital S." Quinn said. Puck nodded sagely and took another bite out of his sandwich.

"How do you know? You didn't even know I was bi until two seconds ago!" Brittany watched the new girl tuck a loose strand of jet black hair behind her ear.

"She's eating a salad and drinking a Diet Coke. That's like the straight girl meal of champions." Puck said.

Brittany made a face. "That doesn't even make sense. I enjoy salad and Coke."

"Yeah, and you're straight half the time," Puck reasoned.

"That's not really how that works." Brittany rolled her eyes.

"Her name's Santana," Quinn added. "She's filthy rich...and I mean, just look at her, B."

Brittany was definitely looking at her. She couldn't stop looking at her. Santana was maybe the most beautiful girl Brittany had ever seen.

"You still haven't given me any valid reasons why I can't at least try talking to her." Brittany said, still watching the girl across the room.

The bell rang before Quinn and Puck could say anymore, and the three friends got up to clear their trays before heading to their next classes. When Brittany looked back over her shoulder, Santana was gone.

* * *

Brittany was walking down the hallway at the end of the day when she noticed the glee club sign up sheet on the announcement board. Well, she didn't notice the sign up sheet, but a name written perfectly on the top of the list.

She read the name 'Santana Lopez' and smirked at the heart that was written instead of the 'o'. Brittany looked up and down the hall. Puck and Quinn would tease her mercilessly, but the thought didn't stop her from picking up the pen that was linked to the sheet of paper.

There were a few other names on the list and Brittany wrote hers down on the next available line. She couldn't really sing, but they danced too, right? Brittany started walking towards her locker. Was being on academic probation going to prevent her from joining the glee club? At least it was free - her mom would throw a fit if Brittany tried signing up for something that cost money. The only reason she could be on the Cheerios was because she got used uniforms from an upperclassmen who quit and gave Brittany her uniforms before Coach Sue could burn them in a bout of rage.

Brittany collected her books from her locker and slipped them into her backpack. The first club meeting was tomorrow, so she figured she could see how it went. She got giddy at the thought of being in the same room with Santana again. All afternoon Brittany had hoped to see Santana in one of her classes, but she'd been disappointed every time.

Once she'd gathered all her books she went to the front entrance where Puck was already waiting for her.

"Another day down the drain," he shook his head and draped his arm around her shoulders as they made their way out the front door. They walked across the parking lot to Puck's truck.

"I'm taking you on the scenic route," Puck grinned.

"Ugh, Puck c'mon I can't be late for dinner my mom will be pissed." Brittany groaned.

"Calm down, it'll take two seconds extra."

As they drove Brittany watched for the alternate route, but it was only after they'd crossed over into Lima Heights that Puck then went down a different street. He stopped in front of the biggest house Brittany had ever seen.

"What the..." Brittany rolled down her window and leaned out to get a better look. There were huge hedges that seemed to go around the property, but the house was still visible, looming ridiculously higher than its neighbors.

"Your lady friend's humble abode," Puck said with raised eyebrows.

"No way..." Brittany kept looking at the house. "Wasn't this where that crazy party was last year?"

"Yeah, but the house was gutted then. Now it's heated and probably filled with shit more expensive than the two of us combined.

"Her dad's some doctor, and I don't know what her mom does, but from the looks of things she probably shits Benjamins."

Brittany only shook her head. "In fucking Lima Heights?"

"The property probably cost 10 bucks," Puck shrugged as he started up the engine. Brittany rolled up her window and watched the house for as long as she could until it was out of sight as they drove away.

A few minutes later Puck pulled up in front of Brittany's house. Brittany frowned at how rundown it looked after staring at that monster mansion. She'd have to cut the grass this weekend too. It was already browning with leaves collecting for the fall, but she'd clean it up nonetheless.

"You wanna stay for dinner?" She offered as she hopped out of the truck.

"Nah, thanks though, got a date with a cougar."

"Gross."

"Hey, she pays for my shit. And hell, maybe you can stop by that mansion and get yourself your own sugar mama!" He winked and let out a laugh when Brittany gave him the finger.

"See you tomorrow asshole."

"Later, Britt."

Brittany let herself inside and dropped her bag on the couch. "Hey mom, I'm home," she called out. When she didn't get a response she went into the kitchen and found a post-it note on the fridge.

_-Change of plans, went out with Todd! Fix yourself something from the fridge, don't wait up xo mom_

Brittany scowled and opened the fridge, which was sparsely populated. She then opened the freezer and pulled out one of her mom's Lean Cuisines. At least with her mom out she could use the computer, Brittany thought to herself as her dinner turned in the microwave. They had an old desktop between the two of them and were pirating internet from their neighbors. Not the ideal situation, but it was the best they could do for now.

When the microwave beeped Brittany pulled her dinner out and slid it on a plate, grabbing a fork from the dishrack and a soda from the fridge. She settled into the worn office chair at the desk in the living room and booted up the computer. Brittany took a bite of her ravioli and cursed as it burned her tongue. She quickly chugged some of her soda, letting out a burp and a relieve sigh when it cooled her mouth.

After she got logged on, she pulled up Facebook and found herself typing 'Santana Lopez' into the search bar. Pathetic, she did her best to ignore the voice in the back of her mind.

There was only one search result, and her profile was private so all Brittany could see was the small icon that served as her picture. It was her, that was for sure. Wearing sunglasses and a bikini top in what looked like a beautiful location. No boy in it at least, and she felt a flutter of desperate hope in her chest. Closing out of the page, Brittany took another bite of her dinner and checked her email, but she rarely got anything of interest.

Suddenly, she heard a scratching sound in the kitchen. She picked up her microwave dinner, which was now cooling rapidly, and went to investigate.

"Oh, you again," Brittany shook her head with a smile as she opened the glass sliding doors to the porch. A large cat sat back from where he'd been scratching moments ago. Brittany took one last bite before putting the remains of her dinner out on the porch. The cat immediately began lapping at the ravioli.

"Lean Cuisine, Lord Tubbington. To help you watch that figure of yours," Brittany said as the cat meowed its appreciation. "One day I'll buy you real cat food," Brittany mumbled wistfully. She crouched down and scratched Lord Tubbington's head as he ate. When the cat finished he gave Brittany's hand one quick lick before waddling back down off the porch.

"Rude," Brittany said as she watched the cat go. She gave a sigh before she picked up the now empty container and headed back inside. Brittany ignored her bag full of homework and started loading an episode of Friends to watch on the computer, all the while trying not to think of the new girl.


	2. Chapter 2

Brittany pulled the door to the choir room open and found a few students already there. She recognized a few - Rachel Berry, who was involved in almost every club the school had, Artie Abrams, who was polishing the wheels of his wheelchair, and Mercedes Jones, who was texting on a rhinestone covered phone.

Rachel stood up and made a beeline for Brittany, sticking out her hand.

"Hello, I'm Rachel Berry, welcome to Glee!"

Brittany smiled as she caught Mercedes rolling her eyes. She shook Rachel's hand. "Hi Rachel, I'm Brittany."

"Well welcome, Brittany. Please have a seat."

"Thanks," Brittany smiled at Artie who gave her a knowing look, as if to say "I know, isn't she ridiculous?" She dropped her backpack next to her chair in the last row.

"So, um, just out of curiosity, if you're on academic probation, can you still do glee club?"

Rachel spun around sharply. "Well, not that I'd know from personal experience as I make all A's and B's, I believe academic probation does not prohibit you from the glee club. In fact, Mr. Schuester believes the arts can help one's education, and I happen to wholeheartedly agree."

Brittany just nodded her thanks and ran a hand through her hair. She'd brushed it this morning and even picked out her nicest shirt and jeans to wear, hoping to look her best in case she spoke with Santana. At lunch that day Quinn had noticed Brittany playing with her hair and gave her a weird look, but Brittany pretended not to see it. She knew she'd tell her friends what was going on soon, but not just yet.

The door opened and interrupted Brittany's thoughts. She felt her heart beat faster when Santana walked in, dressed more like a model than a high school student and wearing the uninterested look of a model as well.

Rachel popped up out of her seat to greet Santana like she had Brittany.

"Hello, I'm Rachel Berry, welcome to Glee!"

Santana eyed Rachel but didn't shake her extended hand. "Santana," she said before brushing by the girl and taking a seat in the row in front of Brittany, a few seats to the left. Her voice was so smooth, Brittany could tell from just hearing her say her name. Rachel bounced back quickly enough, returning to her seat in the front row.

"Welcome, Santana." She opened her mouth to possibly grill Santana some more, but the rest of the glee club seemed to wander in as well as Mr. Schuester, so Rachel fell quiet.

Brittany couldn't stop staring at Santana. She'd never seen someone so perfect, from her silky black hair all the way down to her polished boots. Her profile was stunning, with an adorable nose and sexy lips, slightly rosy cheeks - her outfit was also perfect, a tight dress with blue and black stripes accompanied by a furry looking vest. Brittany wondered if it was real fur. She hoped not.

Santana seemed to feel her staring and turned her head slightly in Brittany's direction, causing Brittany to blush and look away quickly. Brittany focused her attention on Mr. Schuester, hoping she hadn't been caught.

"Alright, I see a few new faces, so if it's your first time here, come up and introduce yourself, sharing one fun fact about yourselves!"

A lanky boy named Mike stood up and introduced himself quickly, and Brittany followed after. As she stood in the front her eyes darted to Santana who seemed to be listening with mild interest. Brittany said her name and her favorite animal, which was actually a tie between ducks and cats. When she sat down, no one else stepped up, so after a few seconds Mr. Schue looked towards Santana with raised eyebrows.

Brittany watched the girl stand and move to the front of the room with bated breath.

"My name's Santana, and I just moved here a couple of weeks ago because my dad got reassigned to work at the Lima hospital."

"Hi Santana, nice to have you," Mr. Schuester said with a smile. Santana nodded politely and sat back down.

"Ok guys, it's a new year of Glee, and I want to start this week off with a simple assignment - I want you all to choose a song that expresses who you are," Mr. Schue said.

There were some murmurs through the group as friends discussed the prospect. Brittany only looked at Santana, who was looking thoughtfully at Mr. Schuester.

"Now, I know you can't be defined by one song of course, but try and pick the one you think fits you best. That'll help us all get to know each other a little better, before we start singing as a team."

_Crap_. Brittany raised her hand.

"Yes Brittany?"

"Um, do we have to sing this song?"

There were a few quiet chuckles throughout the room and Brittany felt her cheeks turn red.

"It's just - I mean - I'm..."

Mr. Schuester interrupted her with a gentle smile. "You can share your song with us however you'd like, Brittany."

"But Mr. Schue," Rachel started to object before he gave her a sharp look. She opened her mouth to try again but stopped.

"Ok, that's it for today. Work on those songs for next week! Same time, same place."

Everyone stood up and grabbed their stuff, some people mingling to chat with friends while others just started to leave. Santana headed for the door and Brittany grabbed her back and quickly caught up.

Fighting the butterflies that were going crazy in her stomach, she tapped Santana on the shoulder.

"So, whatcha gonna sing?" Brittany asked, the brightest smile she could muster on her face.

Santana seemed startled by the tap on her shoulder and the question.

"I'm not sure yet," she said, and started walking again. Brittany stepped ahead of her quickly to hold the choir room door open.

"I'm Brittany, by the way," she said as Santana walked by her.

"Thanks," Santana said politely after Brittany held to door. "You're the one who's not going to sing her song in the show choir club, right?" She asked with the smallest hint of a smirk on her face.

Brittany's cheeks got hot again. "Uh, yeah, that's me." Damn she was stupid sometimes. "Well, anyway, before I make a bigger ass out of myself, I just wanna say it was nice meeting you, and I can't wait to hear your song next week." Brittany smiled at Santana before turning around and heading in the opposite direction, possibly to go have Puck throw her in the dumpster for being such a goof. So much for first impressions. Santana had looked at her like she was an alien.

But Brittany couldn't have been more honest when she said she couldn't wait to hear Santana sing. She bet her voice would be even hotter in song than it was in regular conversation.

* * *

"So a little Kurt Hummel told me something interesting today before we slushied the hell out of him," Puck said nonchalantly as he laid on the grass in the park with Quinn and Brittany after school.

Brittany sat up with a jolt.

"What'd he say?" Quinn asked, looking between Brittany and Puck.

"He said my friend Brittany had joined the glee club!" Puck sat up with his accusation. Quinn followed, looking amused.

"You did what?"

"I joined the glee club...?" Brittany trailed off, picking at a piece of grass.

"Can you even sing?" Quinn asked.

"Not really." Brittany felt stupid for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Wait a minute..." Puck looked deep in thought, or constipated, Brittany wasn't sure. "Is she?" He asked, looking right at Brittany.

She met his eyes, knowing exactly what he meant, but feigning ignorance. "Hm?"

"She is. She is!"

"Who is what?" Quinn's forehead creased.

"That rich chick is in the glee club, isn't she." It was a statement - Puck knew he was right.

Brittany didn't answer and just laid back down.

"She's in the glee club? Why the hell would she join the glee club?" Quinn wondered aloud.

"All those rich assholes do that kind of shit," Puck shrugged. "She's probably got a resume 3 feet long already."

"Hey, she's not an asshole," Brittany said. Puck just rolled his eyes at her.

"Just be careful, B," Quinn warned.

"Careful of what?"

"Just...careful. I don't want you to get hurt."

Brittany smiled. "Thanks, Q. To be honest at this point I'm more worried about what song I'm going to pick for the stupid glee club."

Puck let out a howl of laughter and Brittany pushed him before looking back at Quinn, who was rolling her eyes at the both of them.

"Also, Quinn, about which song I'm gonna pick...do you think I could borrow your iPod to get some ideas?"

"Of course! It's at home, but I'll bring it in to school tomorrow morning?"

"Awesome, thanks."

The friends hung out a little longer just talking about school before they all got up to head home. Puck offered them both a ride, but Brittany said she'd walk home. Quinn accepted, but instructed Puck to drop her off at the corner of her street because her father would kill her if he saw her with Puck. Instead of being insulted, Puck revelled in being considered such a bad influence, and the three friends said goodbye until school the next day.

Brittany processed the day as she walked home. She was nervous about having to perform a song for the glee club, and her thoughts kept going back to Santana. She didn't know why she was so drawn to the new girl, but even as she tried to figure it out, Brittany found herself walking down the street Santana's mansion was on.

It was getting dark out, but Brittany could still make out the intimidatingly huge house, especially with a few of its windows lit up. Someone was home. Brittany stood across the street, looking at the house with its gated driveway and tall hedges that made it seem like a fortress. She was reminded of the fact that all her clothes were either hand-me-downs or thrift store purchases, and that she had to borrow Quinn's iPod because there was no way she could afford her own. She had terrible grades and couldn't even afford a tutor. Her mom was always working, and even if she wasn't, her mom had barely made it through high school herself - how would she be able to help Brittany with homework?

Brittany continued walking, not wanting to worry her mother by being out in Lima Heights after dusk. She shook her head at herself because yeah, her mom wouldn't even be able to call her non-existent cellphone to check on her.

Even if Santana wasn't straight, why would she even look twice at Brittany? Hell, she had already pretty much blown Brittany off when she had tried to talk after glee club. They were definitely living in two different worlds.

Completely dejected by no one's fault but her own, Brittany walked the rest of the way home at a brisk pace.

* * *

The week seemed to fly by after that. Quinn brought Brittany her iPod and told her to borrow it for as long as she needed. Brittany tried not to feel too much like a charity project and thanked Quinn again.

She spent her nights practicing the song she'd finally settled on and half-heartedly doing her homework. When the weekend rolled around, Brittany dragged out the rake and lawn mower they kept in their garage. Her mom was sleeping late as Saturday was the one day off she had.

Brittany zoned out as she raked the leaves in the front yard, enjoying the burn in her arms and the satisfaction that grew as the yard started to look cleaner and cleaner. She was just about to turn on the lawn mower when she caught someone coming down the street out of the corner of her eye. She did a double take and saw it was Santana. Brittany cursed to herself, suddenly aware of how sweaty she was and how gross she must have looked.

She watched Santana for another second before realizing the girl was limping. Brittany dropped the rake and walked over to the curb.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked as Santana came closer.

Santana grimaced. "I rolled my fucking ankle," she said through gritted teeth.

Brittany motioned for her to come sit down on the grass. Santana looked hesitant but agreed, and Brittany helped guide her down, noting how Santana was dressed head to toe in running gear.

"I wouldn't have guessed you to be a runner," Brittany mused.

"Normally I just use the treadmill, but my mom was on ours and being a bitch about wanting to break her record distance."

"Man, I hate when that happens," Brittany shook her head gravely, battling an eyeroll.

Santana caught the sarcasm and shot Brittany an equally sarcastic look. "Yeah, thanks for your concern," she grimaced and held her ankle.

"Sorry, sorry, stay here and let me get you some ice. And I think I have an ace bandage somewhere."

Brittany jogged back inside and put some ice in a plastic bag and rummaged around in the cabinet under the bathroom sink until she found the ace bandage. When she went back outside she found Santana lying down fully, biting her lip.

"How bad was it?" Brittany asked.

"Let's just say I'll be writing a strongly worded letter to the city about fixing their potholes that take up more space than actual smooth pavement."

"Yeah, good luck with that." Brittany chuckled. "Here," she motioned for Santana to raise the leg with the injured ankle as she knelt down.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Santana asked as Brittany started unlacing Santana's sneaker.

Brittany stopped. "I was gonna wrap it and put ice on it, unless you wanna walk home without it."

"Do you know what you're doing?"

"Yeah, don't worry princess," Brittany smirked as she pulled Santana's shoe off slowly.

"Ow ow ow fuck! Careful," Santana groaned. "And I'm not a princess," she protested indignantly.

Brittany only smiled to herself as she peeled off Santana's sock and began wrapping the ace bandage around her foot. She felt like she had blinked and was all of a sudden holding Santana's apparently still-perfect-despite-being-injured foot in her lap. She hadn't meant to call Santana a princess, and she hadn't even meant it viciously, it just sort of slipped. She wondered if she'd slipped into some sort of ridiculously real daydream.

"Sorry," Brittany apologized, which seemed to appease Santana who was watching Brittany work carefully.

It was an extra long ace bandage which allowed Brittany to wrap Santana's ankle twice before holding the ice to her ankle and wrapping the rest of the bandage around the ice.

"There, that should help you get home," Brittany said, inspecting her work.

"Thanks, but I really don't think I can walk the rest of the way," Santana grimaced.

Brittany thought for a minute, taking the time to covertly admire the way Santana's running clothes clung to her body and the windswept bangs that must have fallen from her ponytail.

"Um, well you could cut through people's yards to make the trip shorter, but that's always a gamble depending on who's drunk and toting a shotgun to defend their property," Brittany said, slightly amused by the uncertain look on Santana's face.

"Or...I could bike you home? It'd only be a short ride in my bike's basket."

"No," Santana responded immediately. "Thanks, but I'm not riding in a bike basket," Santana shook her head.

Brittany laughed. "Alright, suit yourself, just trying to help."

Santana stayed quiet, biting her bottom lip while she considered her options.

"Could you...Would you mind helping me cut through people's yards?" Santana asked, so meekly hopeful it caught Brittany off guard.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Lemme just put the rake and mower away."

Brittany quickly put them back in the garage and pulled the door down before walking back over to Santana, who was trying to stand.

"Whoa, whoa, here, I got ya," Brittany helped Santana stand. She picked up the girl's shoe and tapped her shoulder indicating for Santana to wrap her arm around it for support. Brittany hoped she didn't smell too bad, and tried not to get woozy herself as Santana still managed to smell good after going for a run.

"Okay, what street do you live on?" Brittany remembered not to reveal that she knew exactly where the girl lived. Santana gave Brittany her address and Brittany turned them in the right direction.

"You were kidding, about the people with their shotguns, right?" Santana asked, and Brittany heard the worry in her voice.

"Mhm, yeah, if it makes you feel better," Brittany grinned, surprised but pleased when she felt Santana grip her a little tighter, however subtle the motion was.

* * *

The girls made it to the front of Santana's house without a problem. One neighbor had shouted at them, but it seemed to be more of a solicitation than a death threat. Brittany helped Santana all the way to the little keypad in front of the gated driveway, where Santana took her arm from around Brittany's shoulder.

"You need help up the driveway? It's probably half a block's length," Brittany asked, looking up the path to the front of the house.

"No, I think I can make it from here," Santana said as she punched in the code to make the gate start opening. Brittany couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed as she held out Santana's sneaker for her to take back.

"Thanks though, Brittany. I really appreciate it." Santana smiled sincerely and Brittany felt her disappointment instantly melt away.

"Anytime," Brittany said.

"Alright, well hopefully I won't roll my ankle too many more times," Santana smiled some more. "I'll see you around," she said before pulling her shoe loosely over her ankle and turning to make her way up the driveway.

Brittany watched Santana until she reached her front door. When the girl disappeared, Brittany turned to walk home, feeling giddy.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I love the song Santana sings in this, definitely think it's worth a listen if you've never heard it before!_

* * *

"What do you want for dinner tonight?" Brittany's mom asked as her daughter pulled her coat on.

Brittany shrugged. "Whatever you want," she said flatly. Recently her mother had taken to skipping dinner, instead leaving notes on the fridge saying she was out with one bland name after the next, like Tom or Joe or Rob. Brittany had trained herself to not be disappointed anymore. She couldn't really blame her mother either - after working all day in a dumpy office in the excuse of a "downtown" that downtown Lima was, who would want to come back home to their dumpy little house?

Her mother frowned. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing, ma," Brittany sighed as she grabbed her backpack. "I'd love lasagna for dinner tonight," she said to placate her mother before she headed out the door and down the driveway, where Puck's truck sat idling, waiting to drive them to school.

* * *

"So, Brittany, what do you think? …Brittany?"

Brittany blinked a couple of times as her eyes refocused. She was in Ms. Pillsbury's office, but had totally zoned out while the woman was speaking.

"I'm sorry, what do I think about what?"

Ms. Pillsbury's forehead wrinkled. "Brittany, are you okay? I was just talking about how we need to get your grades up. I know it's relatively early in the school year, but as a junior you need to start thinking about college."

Brittany licked her lips. Grades. College. No wonder she spaced out.

"Are you having trouble focusing in your classes too?"

"No, I'm fine. Just tell me what I have to do," she sighed, itching to get out of Ms. Pillsbury's office and into the cafeteria, her lunch period already cut in half because of this meeting.

Ms. Pillsbury watched Brittany carefully but resigned herself to not pushing the issue. "Well, like I said, you need to get your grades up. If you're having trouble with the material, a tutor might be extremely helpful?"

Brittany nodded, knowing full well she wouldn't get a tutor. "Alright. Tutor. Got it. Can I go now?"

"Sure."

Brittany smiled as she nearly jumped out of her seat. "Thanks Ms. Pillsbury," she said as she hurried from the office and down the hall. Instantly forgetting the meeting, Brittany skidded into the cafeteria and made a beeline for the table Puck and Quinn were sitting at. As she walked through the crowded room she looked for Santana but didn't see her anywhere.

"Where were you?" Puck asked through a mouthful of food as Brittany sat down.

"I had some stupid meeting with Ms. Pillsbury about my grades and stuff."

"Doesn't sound so stupid to me," Quinn said, giving Brittany a look.

"Oh cool it, _mom_," Puck teased, saving Brittany from having to say anything. Quinn only rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, you still haven't told us what song you're doing for glee club," Quinn pointedly moved on.

"'Cause I don't want to talk about it," Brittany mumbled, stealing some fries off of Puck's tray.

"Britt you can't be embarrassed about show choir if you're going to be in the show choir club," Quinn said gently.

"I know, but I can't really sing, so it's kind of awkward."

"Quinn, she's not in show choir 'cause she wants to be in show choir, she's in show choir 'cause she wants to be in this Santana chick," Puck reasoned, a smirk on his face as Brittany glared at him.

"Such a way with words," Brittany shook her head as the first bell rang.

* * *

Brittany sat in the back row of the choir room, chewing on her bottom lip. As the day had gone on, she had gotten more and more anxious about having to perform her song. She tried to remind herself that it was just like cheerleading, especially since she wasn't even planning on singing, but something made this performance different.

Kids were coming in and taking their seats but Brittany hadn't been paying attention to anyone until she noticed Santana walk into the room. Brittany sat up a little straighter in her chair and smiled as Santana's eyes caught hers. Santana smiled back, and almost looked like she was going to move to the back row to sit next to Brittany before she dropped her bag next to a chair in the row in front, a few seats over.

Brittany spent the next few minutes stealing glances at Santana, admiring her hair and makeup and clothes; she always looked so perfect and put together. Brittany watched as Tina sat down next to Santana.

"Santana, right? I'm Tina. I just have to say those boots you are wearing are insane. Where did you get them?"

Santana smiled. "My parents got them for me when we went to Italy last summer."

"Wow," was all Tina could say.

Brittany would have to agree. Wow. She went back to chewing her lip nervously as Mr. Schuester walked into the room. He clapped his hands as he took his position in front of the group.

"Alright guys, hope everyone's had a good day. Who wants to go first?"

Rachel's hand shot straight up. Mr. Schuester looked around, chuckling when no one else volunteered, or when no one else dared to challenge Rachel's enthusiasm. Rachel eagerly moved to the front of the room. Rachel had an incredible voice, but Brittany found herself only able to focus on Santana, who was watching Rachel with a slight frown, her arms folded across her chest and legs crossed.

When Rachel finished, the group clapped and she curtsied before sitting back down. After her Kurt went, then Mercedes, followed by Tina. Brittany allowed herself to relax a little when she saw that Mr. Schue was letting kids volunteer and not calling on them. Maybe she wouldn't have to perform at all.

After Artie went, Santana raised her hand. Mr. Schue smiled and called her up. She handed some sheet music to the band kids and took her spot in front of the class.

"This song is one of my favorites by my all time favorite. It's called 'Fuck Me Pumps' by Amy Winehouse."

The name of the song got a shocked laugh from the glee kids and Mr. Schue held up his hands in protest. "Santana, you can't-"

Santana motioned to the band kids to start playing, ignoring Mr. Schuester. They looked at each other and shrugged before they started playing the music. Santana grinned like a cat that got the canary and started singing.

Brittany watched with bemused awe as Santana bounced slightly with the music. Her voice was stunning - _she_ was stunning while she performed, feeding off the energy of the music.

When she finished, Santana got the biggest applause of all the singers and Mr. Schuester shook his head as he stood, asking her to sit down. Santana bit back a huge grin and gave a little shrug before taking her seat again. The room settled down from the buzz of the "scandalous" performance and Mr. Schue started to ask for the next performer, a disapproving look still on his face, but he was interrupted by the bell.

"Okay, next week, same time, same place!"

Brittany sighed with relief, but she also felt slightly disappointed. She picked her backpack up and started to head for the door, watching as Mr. Schue walked over to Santana. Brittany strained to hear what he was saying as she walked, but she reached the door and had to leave, or else it'd be obvious she was eavesdropping. She walked to her locker and found Puck waiting for her.

"So, how'd it go? Did you totally get her hot for you with your performance?"

Brittany rolled her eyes and pulled out the books she needed for her last classes.

"Not quite - I didn't even do my song."

"Performance anxiety?" Puck laughed.

Brittany opened her mouth to respond but before she could Puck had stopped laughing and started hitting her arm.

"Ow, Puck, what the hell?" Brittany protested, looking at her friend who was still hitting her arm and nodding his head towards the hallway behind her.

Before Brittany could even turn around, Puck stopped hitting her and stood up straight.

"Hey Brittany," Santana's voice came from behind her. Brittany whipped around.

"Hey Santana," Brittany rubbed her arm, still annoyed with Puck but less able to focus on that at the moment.

"I just wanted to thank you for helping me out over the weekend, I really appreciate it."

"Of course! My pleasure," Brittany smiled widely, her stomach somersaulting. She even managed to ignore Puck's snort at the word "pleasure".

Santana must have heard it too because she looked his way.

"This is my friend, Puck," Brittany gestured towards him. "His full name's Noah Puckerman, but apparently he's too cool for that."

Puck shrugged, and Brittany didn't miss the way he looked Santana up and down.

"I'm Santana, nice to meet you Noah," Santana smiled politely, and Brittany's stomach felt queasy at the way Santana looked Puck over, too.

"Umm, well yeah, no problem about helping you out this weekend, how's your ankle?" Brittany asked.

"It's better - my dad got me a nice ankle brace that actually fits under my boots. And some light painkillers too."

"Well I could have got you those," Puck chuckled.

"Oh, you're a doctor?" Santana fired back, still smiling.

Brittany smirked. She was glad to see Santana matching wits, or even winning a game of one-liners with Puck.

Puck rolled his eyes.

"That's cool." Brittany closed her locker as the second bell rang. "Also, I have to say, you have an incredible voice."

Santana might have blushed and Brittany took a deep breath. "Thanks. Mr. Schuester didn't seem to care for my song choice though."

"Screw him, I thought it was awesome."

Santana smiled. "Thanks. Bummed I didn't get to hear your song though!"

Brittany shook her head. "Trust me, you weren't missing anything. Anyways, we should all probably go to class before we get in trouble."

Puck, who'd been subdued after Santana quipped at him, scoffed. "Okay hall monitor, please don't punish me, I don't have a late pass."

"Ass," Brittany hit his shoulder.

Santana laughed. Brittany was quickly growing to love that sound.

"Anyway, I'm going this way," Puck jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"I'm going that way too," Santana said. Brittany wrinkled her nose but quickly put her poker face back on.

"I'm going in the opposite direction," Brittany said, trying not to sound too sad about it.

"See you around," Santana smiled before turning back to Puck. "I'm only walking with you if you promise to keep your mouth shut."

Puck raised his hands defensively. "Lips are sealed. For now."

Brittany wished she could enjoy their banter more but she knew flirting when she saw it. Jealousy burned in her chest and she took another deep breath. "See you guys," she said before quickly turning around and heading down the hall to her next class.

* * *

"He was flirting with her," Brittany groaned, sitting up on Quinn's bed after school that day. They were supposed to be doing homework but all Brittany could think or talk about was Santana.

"You know Puck, he flirts with anyone with a vagina." Quinn reasoned.

"Yeah, but he knows I like her!"

"So just tell him to ease up, and he will. You know he loves you, you're a girl who can talk about girls with him, of course he values your friendship." Quinn smiled and Brittany did too, begrudgingly. "It's just his like, natural instinct. And she's gorgeous, of course he was going to be stupid in front of her."

"Well I'm stupid enough in front of her for two people, he doesn't need to be stupid in front of her."

Quinn made a sympathetic face and put a hand on Brittany's back. "Just talk to him," she said again.

Brittany sighed and Quinn's phone buzzed. She picked it up and read the text before wordlessly handing the phone over to Brittany.

_-yo ladies, party fri night my newest abandoned house in the heights_

* * *

The week flew by after that. Brittany and Quinn went to the thrift store on Thursday after school to pick out a nice outfit for Brittany to wear. Puck had told them that Santana would be there, and even though Brittany bristled at him being able to confirm that, she hadn't said anything to him and just decided to dress her best.

Friday night, Brittany and Quinn got ready for the party together at Quinn's house. Brittany hadn't seen her mom in a while, but left a note on the fridge saying she was going to a party. The friends got dressed and helped each other with makeup. They had actually managed to find a flattering dress at the thrift store for only ten dollars. It hugged Brittany's lean frame nicely and matched the modest heels she borrowed from Quinn.

"We look hot," Quinn smiled as they looked themselves over in the mirror.

"We do," Brittany agreed, mildly surprised. She couldn't remember ever being this dressed up. "It's not too much, is it?"

"No, you look great. Even Santana will notice you."

"You think?" Brittany asked, not wanting to believe it.

"Definitely," Quinn said as she picked up her purse.

* * *

They could practically feel the music pulsing through the ground as they walked up the front yard. The house was small, but Brittany figured it was gutted besides for the ratty furniture Puck would be sure to have decorated it with. She was proven right when they walked in - the house was a shell besides for some couches, a flimsy pong table, and a mini fridge Puck had plugged in to store the beer. The hard alcohol was in a big bucket full of ice.

There were a lot of people there, but it wasn't crazy packed. Brittany and Quinn found Puck chugging beers with a few of his football friends.

"I'm gonna go make us drinks," Quinn shouted over the music.

"Make mine strong please," Brittany smiled. Quinn shook her head but Brittany knew she would still make it.

"Hey Britt!" Puck shouted, giving her a huge bear hug when he finished drinking. He was drunk already, but Brittany smiled and hugged him back. She suddenly felt awkward and didn't like it, wishing Quinn would come back with their drinks. Brittany looked back around the house when Puck turned back to his teammates. Her eyes lit up as they fell on Santana, who was just closing the front door behind her.

Brittany walked over to Santana. "Hey!" she greeted, her eyes shamelessly raking up and down Santana's body as the girl looked around the party. Santana was in a tight black dress and nearly knee-high boots. Her hair was down and fell in loose curls around her shoulders and down her back.

"You look great," Brittany said, motioning for Santana to follow her back into the room she had just been in.

Santana smiled. "Thanks, so do you!" Brittany bit her bottom lip as she met up with Quinn and took her drink out of her hand.

"Thanks. Quinn, this is Santana, Santana, this is Quinn."

The girls smiled at each other. "Nice to meet you," Quinn said.

"Same to you." Santana smiled, looking around the party.

"Here, you want a drink?" Quinn offered Santana the one she'd been holding. "I haven't taken a sip yet."

"Oh no, that's fine, I'll get my own."

"No really, here," Quinn insisted. "I'll get another one." Quinn winked at Brittany before turning to get another drink.

"That was really nice of her," Santana smiled, looking at Brittany.

"Yeah," Brittany blushed, left alone to talk to Santana. She didn't know if she wanted to hug Quinn or hit her.

"So this is what public high school parties look like," Santana mused, taking a sip of her drink.

Brittany wrinkled her brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, no - that must have sounded really obnoxious. I've just, never been to one..." Santana shrugged. "Only seen them in movies and TV I guess."

Brittany laughed. "That's cute, I guess," she teased.

Santana just rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink. Quinn joined them again, another drink in hand. She opened her mouth to say something but just then Puck cut the music for a second.

"Spin the bottle!" He shouted, voice deep and slightly slurred, before putting the music back on.

Brittany chugged from her drink. She wasn't drunk enough for this game right now. Quinn raised her eyebrows. "You ladies in?"

"I might sit this one out," Santana said, watching the kids who were gathering on the floor in a large circle.

"Aw c'mon, you gotta get your full 'public school party' experience," Brittany grinned, nudging Santana. She quickly took another swig from her drink, which was now almost empty. Brittany hoped Santana didn't find her too overeager to get her into the game. Brittany needed another drink at just the thought of her spin landing on Santana.

Santana laughed lightly. "Alright, I guess you make a valid point."

The three of them joined the circle, getting separated as they filled in vacant spaces around the group of kids. Brittany felt the buzz of her first drink as she sat down. She watched as one of Puck's teammates, she thought his name might be Dave, spun the bottle in the middle of the circle. It landed on a girl Brittany didn't know and the two of them moved towards the middle of the circle to kiss each other. Puck howled and others cheered. Brittany got up quickly to grab a beer from the fridge.

When she sat back down, Puck was spinning the bottle. Brittany watched the bottle spin and spin before it slowly came to a stop. Her stomach dropped as the head of the bottle pointed at Santana, who licked her lips.

Brittany felt Quinn look at her but didn't meet her concerned eyes. Puck howled again and Santana chuckled, almost shyly.

"Get ready for the Puckzilla, babe," Puck put his beer down and leaned across the circle towards where Santana was sitting, legs tucked under her. She rolled her eyes, took a sip of her drink before putting it down and leaning forward to meet him.

Brittany watched, eyes trained on the two of them like one might watch a car crash - wanting to turn away but unable to - and she felt her mouth go dry. Puck and Santana kissed and it felt like someone was tying Brittany's stomach in knots. Santana looked like a great kisser and it made Brittany feel dizzy, but then she watched Puck kiss her back and just felt jealousy rear its ugly head.

The two separated soon enough - it looked like Santana pulled back first - and then the next person spun the bottle like nothing had happened. Like Brittany hadn't just watched one of her best friends kiss the girl he knew she had a crush on.

Brittany reminded herself that it was Puck, and he would really chase after anyone with a vagina, and that she hadn't even talked to him about it like Quinn suggested. But she still couldn't help feeling sick as she watched Santana's eyes dart back to Puck as she touched at her lipstick. Puck wasn't even paying attention, he was already back to whooping at whoever kissed who next.

It was her turn to spin soon after, and Brittany gave the bottle a hard spin, already feeling her hopes get back up at where it might land. The bottle slowed and Brittany laughed when it stopped, pointing right at Quinn.

"Oh, hell yes," Puck fist pumped.

"Puck shut up before I kick you in the balls," Quinn shook her head and Brittany smiled even as she glared at Puck.

"You want tongue or not?" Brittany smiled, leaning over towards Quinn.

"Give me tongue Brittany S. Pierce and I will bite it off," Quinn raised her eyebrows at Brittany as she moved towards her.

Brittany chuckled and planted a chaste kiss on Quinn's lips, receiving boos from almost all the guys in the circle. The two blondes ignored them and Brittany indicated that the person next to her should spin; that was all the crowd was getting from them.

Brittany sat for a few more moments but found herself itching to get out of there, so she grabbed her beer and stood up, heading towards the back of the house to look for the bathroom. Once she found it she flipped on the light and locked the door. Now that she thought about it she wondered why the power even worked in an abandoned house. Puck must have meddled with the wiring or something.

She took a long sip from her beer and looked at herself in the mirror. She was surprised again to see herself all made up.

"C'mon Brittany, get with it. You look great, just get a grip. She's probably straight anyway, at least just try and be friends with her. Act normal for two seconds and at least just try and be friends," Brittany talked to her reflection. She inhaled slowly before deciding to pee while she was already in the bathroom. After she was done she washed her hands and leaned against the wall, holding her beer. Finally, she opened the door and went back to join the rest of the party.

The game of spin the bottle had broken up for the most part and Quinn found Brittany quickly.

"Where were you?"

"Bathroom."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Brittany said as her eyes scanned the party. She saw Santana and Puck standing against a wall, talking.

Quinn followed her line of vision. "Brittany..."

Brittany just sipped from her drink, eyes never leaving Santana and Puck. The two seemed to lean closer towards each other, and Brittany's stomach dropped again as she watched Puck lean in to kiss Santana. She kissed him back and Brittany looked away.

"Britt, forget about it," Quinn said, a hand on her friend's arm.

"I'm going home," Brittany finished the last of her beer and put the can down.

"I'll come with," Quinn offered.

"No, it's fine, really. Stay here, enjoy the rest of the party," Brittany pulled loose of Quinn's grip and headed for the door. She burst out into the cool night air and started walking down the street at a brisk pace. It was late enough that even the streets of Lima Heights were quiet, so she wasn't worried about anyone bothering her on the short walk back to her house. If her mom was home she'd be asleep too.

Brittany felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She had no right to cry, she chastised herself. Puck was a stupid boy, and Santana was a stupid girl, a stupid straight girl who found Puck's obnoxious charm actually charming.

She was stupid too, Brittany thought to herself. Stupid for so many reasons.

Brittany got home and yanked off her dress which still smelled like thrift store, pulled on a baggy t-shirt and fell into her bed, angry and exhausted.


End file.
